The Feud
by QueenKalasin
Summary: Harry’s fought this war since he was a kid,it’s his battle.It’s also a good reason to let him have a little fun with Ginny while he can. I get the feeling the good times won’t last long for them,” interjected Zack.What happens whe lovers are ripped apart?
1. The Begining

**The Feud**

Harry trailed kisses down Ginny's neck as their clothes flew across the room. Harry pushed Ginny down until she was flat on her back and he was leaning in to kiss her mouth again. Ginny let out a moan and just then the door flew open, revealing five red haired people who were returning home much earlier than expected. Ginny spotted her family members first, and she shoved Harry off her. He looked around, startled and then spotted the group of Weasleys looking stunned and Harry moved so Ginny's naked body was blocked from her family's view.

_As Harry looked at the five who had interrupted he and Ginny, he whipped an afghan off the living room couch and wrapped it around his waist even as he bent to scoop a pile of clothing from the ground at his feet. Harry tossed the clothes to Ginny, his eyes never leaving the group in front of him. No one except Ginny moved for many long instances, until Harry felt her hand on his back, holding a bunch of cloth. With serious misgivings about turning his back on the murderous glares that were being directed at him, Harry turned and Ginny held up the blanket to cover Harry as he pulled on his boxers and jeans. This meant Harry was standing in the circle of Ginny's arms, and he found himself wishing that he never had to leave that comforting space. After he was dressed, Harry looked down at Ginny and saw that she was wearing only her underwear and his large grey t-shirt._

_Answering Harry's questioning gaze, Ginny nodded to the to separate places across the room where her top and jeans had sailed some half hour before. Harry turned back to the other Weasley's just as Ginny began to mutter something in his ear. "Gosh, Potter, I didn't know you had such a good arm. Maybe you should try for chaser sometime."_

_Ginny's teasing comment put a small smile on Harry's lips, but it was an ill timed expression that Harry regretted as Fred and George dived across the room to tackle him, quickly followed by Charlie. Ginny shrieked as Harry dodged, and Harry spun to make sure she was okay. The moment of distraction cost him dearly, and Charlie caught him and pinned him to the ground. As Harry fell with one Weasley brother on top of him, he looked desperately for a way to escape without hurting anyone. His eyes lit on Ron, his best friend, who just stood off just in the door with his arms crossed over his chest. He watched stonily as his older brothers beat Harry. Harry refused to hit the Weasley brothers, but his attempts to dodge their fists were failing more and more often. Ginny was sobbing for her brothers to stop, and her mother had collapsed on to a chair and sat with her head in her hands._

_Pain pulsed through Harry and Ginny's crying filled his ears until he couldn't take it anymore. He refused to fight back with his fists so his anger, fear and frustration found the outlet it craved in his magic. Power thrummed through Harry and was released into the air around him, throwing off Fred, George and Charlie, so intense that Harry was knocked out. Ginny shrieked again as she hurried to Harry's side screaming at the sight of him laying still and bloody on the living room floor._

"_MUM!" she screamed as she through herself down beside Harry. The last thing Harry heard before he blacked out was his Ginny shrieking for her mother to come and help him. _

Harry Potter sat at his kitchen table with a glass of firewhiskey in his hand, thinking that no matter how bad things became, he just couldn't bring himself to numb the pain with alcohol. He simply didn't like the stuff enough to drink that much of it. As Harry set aside the barely touched glass and retrieved a butterbeer to replace it, Harry wondered how his friends could like firewhiskey as much as they apparently did. But then, there was only one thing that Harry didn't wonder about his friends. And that was why he had had to replace his old ones with people so unlike those he used to associate with.

Those painful memories dogged him even though it was a year since they had happened. Horrible scenes chased through Harry's mind; the Weasleys discovering him and Ginny, being beaten by those he had once counted as nearly family, knowing that Ron had stood and watched as it happened, believing his best friend deserved it. Then there was the shock of waking up the next day with Dobby the house-elf caring for him as he convalesced in Grimmauld Place, and then the realization that the Weasleys no longer welcomed him under their roof, and the terrible certainty that he would be unlikely to ever so much as see Ginny again. Then he realized that not only had he lost the love of his life, the closest thing he'd ever had to a family, he had also lost his best friend. The most awful part was that he wasn't sure he would have wanted to be Ron's friend after the redhead had done nothing as three older and stronger boys had beaten him. As he lay in a bedroom in his godfather's house, memories had assaulted him and he had thought of the happy times in the house and of Sirius. He stayed until he could no longer bear the pain the past brought him, then he had packed his things, which Mrs Weasley had sent to him, and taken Dobby and moved into an apartment overlooking Diagon Alley.

Yet even in his new place the past had chased him. Thoughts of Ginny were set off by the slightest thing, he would see a red haired person on the street below his window, or a pair of chocolate eyes would meet his on the street. Ginny had haunted Harry to the point that he had gone to the Burrow one night to see if she missed him to.

That memory hurt him more than the one of being beat up by three Weasley brothers. He had flown his broom under Ginny's window and knocked at it until she had awoken and let him in. She had pulled Harry into her bedroom, tears streaming down her face. The whole night they had sat on her bed talking, kissing and trying to avoid thoughts of what would happen if someone found Harry there.

Ginny had fallen asleep in his arms and then he had drifted off holding of to the love of his life for what turned out to be the last time. The two had awoken to the sound of footsteps on the landing outside her room and Harry had not had time to hide before Ron had burst in to wake his sister up for breakfast. Harry wasn't quite sure if he would have been angry at Ron if he wasn't so worried about being beaten again or Ginny getting in trouble because of him.

He hadn't thought about it at the time. He had just begged the boy who had been his best friend at Hogwarts for six years not to tell anyone that he had spent the night, however innocently, in Ginny's bed. Ron had told him to get out before he called his brothers and Ginny had told him to go. Harry had looked at her, trying to tell her he loved her, but they had both known that they would never get the chance to be near each other anymore.

Harry returned to his lonely apartment with one more painful experience to dwell on and more ghostly reminders of Ginny to haunt him. Soon he had tired of the constant reminders, so he had learned to ignore those people around him and he had tried to piece a life together from the shambles of his past. Harry had headed out on his quest for Horcruxes, alone, wishing he still had his best friends to accompany him.

He had traveled across the globe and had made little progress until he arrived in America and had met a wizard named Nathan Deneenan. He walked on the wilder edge and had introduced Harry to his friends. The group of people Nate hung with was composed of a mixed lot of witches and wizards with no fixed home and who roved the world, seeking thrills and the next big adventure.

Chasing down an evil wizard and six bits of his soul with The-Boy-Who-Lived seemingly constituted an exciting enough diversion, so the group had come to London with Harry and had returned there whenever their quest met with another wall. A great deal of drinking and partying went on whenever they found time. It gave Harry something to do, and so long as he had that, he could stave off most thoughts of Ginny, and of Ron's betrayal. Harry could even forget that Hermione didn't like his new friends and no longer came to visit him like she had at first.

Harry could pretend that he didn't need them because he had Nate, Luke, Zack, Juliet, Angel, Sammy and Tory. They were enough, because they stood by him in a fight and they knew how to have a good time when they had the chance. But mostly they were enough because they had to be, because they were all Harry had.

Nate and the boys walked into Harry's apartment just then and joined Harry at the kitchen table. "The girls are waiting for us at the Leaky Cauldron," commented Nate.

"And Juliet is wearing a very tight dress." Zack added with a wink.

"I'd say it's more off than on." Luke corrected conversationally. Everyone laughed a little, knowing that their friend Juliet often did wear that sort of outfit, especially when Harry was likely to be about.

"She's bound and determined to have you. Why not just take her up on it?" asked Zack.

"How many of you have taken you up on that offer before?" asked Harry, watching as the other three grinned widely, all answering him wordlessly. "That's why."

No need to mention a much more relevant, red-haired reason.


	2. The Reception

**The Reception**

When the four young wizards entered the Leaky Cauldron, they found four witches lounging around the otherwise empty room. As Tory, Angel, Juliet and Sammy sat at a long wooden table they looked bored and maybe a little poutty. After all, these girls were used to being busy or partying

"What's happening for tonight?" asked Nate as he sat down and wrapped his arm around Angel.

"Nothing here," she answered him as she leaned into his embrace. "At least not for us. There's wedding reception starting in a few hours."

"Sounds like a good one, too." added Tory as she settled herself on Zack's lap.

"Yeah? How so?" asked Zack, after looking pointedly from his lap to Sammy until she gigglingly complied and followed her friend's example by flinging her arms around her boyfriend.

"Well," Sammy began to answer Zack's question, "It's apparently going to be a huge +party. Someone important is in the wedding party, so…"

Harry lost track of what Sammy was saying when he saw Juliet looking round at their paired off friends and then back to him. Harry hastily shifted in his chair so he was reclining against one arm with his leg thrown over the other. The move left no place for Juliet to force herself onto his lap. Harry attempted to look lofty and comfortable as he sat, watching as Juliet got up, leaving Nate and Angel alone on one side of the table facing the other two couples. Juliet slowly strolled around the table until she was standing with her hands on the back of Harry's chair, looking down at him as he pointedly looked around at the others, avoiding Juliet's gaze.

"So what'll we do tonight? Where should we go?" asked Harry, still trying to get Juliet to take the hint and leave him alone.

"Why go anywhere?" asked Tory, "Except home to get changed?"

"So we're going to crash a wedding?" asked Harry disbelievingly.

"No." said Angel, "Tory said we're crashing the reception."

"Why?" asked Harry.

"Haven't you ever been to one?" asked Luke.

"One. Last year…" Harry didn't like to think of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding. It had taken place just days after he had made up with Ginny and only a week before the Weasley's had walked in on him and Ginny.

"Didn't you notice the bar or the music or any of the fun stuff?" asked Zack

"Well, I had just gotten back together with my girlfriend and we didn't really stick around all that long." Replied Harry with a slight blush.

"Well, this is a Order of the Phoenix affair so we might pick up something useful." Interjected Angel.

"Then we should go," said Nate.

Alarm bells rang in Harry's mind. If it was an Order wedding, there was likely to be at least a few Weasley's in attendance. "I don't know about this…"

"Well, if the others want to go, than you and I could just go back to you place." Offered Juliet with a wide grin.

"It's huge, you say?" asked Harry. Upon receiving three amused nods, he continued. "Well, I can hardly be recognized in a really big crowd, can I? I think I'll go, too."

"Is that all you were worried about?" asked Zack with a laugh. "I know your modest and all, but really, avoiding a party so no one will pull that 'the great Harry Potter' crap on you is a tad overboard."

"I think it's sweet." Declared Tory from the lap of her long time boyfriend, Zack.

"Very, very sweet." Agreed Juliet, still smiling down at Harry.

"Sweet. Just what I've always wanted to be." Replied Harry amusedly, even though he was nearly panicking at the thought of trying to avoid the Weasley's at an Order wedding.

Harry supposed he should have realized that this moment would come because he and the Weasleys were both in the Order and were invited to all the same functions. A reliving thought struck Harry then. If it were really an Order wedding, than he would have been invited too. Even though he was more distant with the Order member now, he was still considered a big part of the organization. Harry regularly traded information with McGonagall, who had stepped into Dumbledore's place after his death, though his new friends didn't know about connections to the Order of the Phoenix.

Harry was much more relaxed as he and his friends left the pub and headed to their rented homes to change clothes. After all, tonight was Harry's night to unwind before he went after his third Horcux. Harry knew that fun would be a long time in returning, so he decided to seize the moment and so something reckless and a little stupid with his new friends while he had the chance.

Maybe tonight was the night they would help him forget about Ginny, at least for a little while.

Harry stood in the doorway of the Leaky Cauldron an hour and a half after first leaving the pub. If his friends had not been surrounding him, he may have taken off running or he may have walked away but he certainly wouldn't have gone through the door and into the party.

As things stood, Nate and Zack were flanking him, Angel, Juliet and Tory were just behind him and Sammy and Luke had already walked in, acting as though they had every right to be there. Crashing a wedding was simply not the sort of thing Harry was used to. Still, Harry forced himself to walk in, attempting to blend in and not be recognized.

So long as there was little chance of meeting up with someone he knew, Harry could make himself go in. There would be music and dancing. Tory had also promised booze, but Harry wasn't really interested.

At least his friends would be with him, which meant one less night of sitting home and obsessing over how much his life had changed. At least tonight he could take a break from trying to save the world and from seeing the shadows of those who had died in the fight he was trying to win. Maybe tonight he could even forget Ginny for a bit.

Not that thinking about her before he had even set foot in the building boded well for that last endeavour.

With an internal sigh, Harry straightened his black robes and prepared to walk into a roomful of people celebrating the marriage of their loved ones. Suddenly Harry looked around and realized that once most of these people had considered him a loved one. Harry saw nearly every Order member, many Hogwart's teachers and too many flaming red heads to count.

Now Harry really wanted to run. He turned back to the small cloakroom and saw that Juliet was still there. If he ducked out now, she would follow him. Harry wasn't sure what he would do with Juliet without their other friends to run interference.

Swallowing, Harry chose the slightly lesser evil and ducked onto the edge of the crowd. He made his way to the other side of the room, trying to stick close to the wall. Harry soon found himself behind several round tables on the edge of the dance floor. It was then that he spotted two redheads sitting alone a few feet away. Ron and Ginny Weasley, dressed beautifully and only kept from seeing Harry by their averted gazes.

Harry ducked behind a heavily decorated column. Hidden by the vast silvery material covering the beam, Harry listened with all his might. Ginny was complaining about Ron's presence when a third voice joined that of the youngest Weasley.

"Ron, come dance with me." pleaded Hermione Granger. "Ginny doesn't need constant supervision."

"I don't agree." Ron flatly stated.

"For heaven's sakes! It's been a year. If Ginny were going to run off in search of him, wouldn't she already be gone?" argued Hermione.

Ginny grumbled, "I'd be long gone, but I'm never alone anymore and I don't even know where he is, all thanks to my brothers."

"Ron, what if Ginny promises not to leave unless someone is with her?" asked Hermione desperately.

"Ginny won't promise that. She's too mad at me to do me any favours." replied Ron.

"Ginny, please! I really want to dance with my boyfriend." Hermione begged her red-haired friend.

"Fine. I promise not to leave this spot alone." Ginny replied with a sigh. "I doubt there's any place to go, even if I were to leave."

At that Hermione dragged Ron away. Harry hesitated for about thirty seconds after Ron left before ducking out of sight, Disillusioning himself and then slipping behind Ginny. He wrapped a hand around her mouth to stop any screaming she might be inclined to do, then put his mouth right next to her ear. "Let's get out of here," he whispered.

Ginny's gasp was muffled by Harry's hand. She mouthed something and her lips tickled his hand. Slowly he released Ginny, and she turned to try to see Harry. Because of the spell, she couldn't see him, but she did feel the kiss he pressed to her cheek. "Oh, Harry." She said, tears in her eyes.

"Can you get out of here?" Harry asked in a whisper.

"Sure. I promised not to leave alone, but if I'm with you, I'm not alone." There was a glint of mischief in Ginny's eyes as she said it.

The pair slid out the door and into the dark street. Harry waved his wand, ending the spell he had cast over himself. As soon as she could see him, tears poured down her face and she pulled Harry into a crushing embrace, peppering his face with kisses. After several happy minutes, both pulled back, finally realizing that if they continued to stand in the street as they had been, Ginny's family would soon find them. "Where can we go?" Ginny asked.

"I have an apartment down the street." Harry offered.

"Let's go." Replied Ginny, wrapping her arm around Harry's waist while his arm settled across her shoulders.

Harry and Ginny sat up talking and kissing for most of the night, and when Ginny fell asleep, Harry carried her into his bedroom. The two slept soundly for the rest of the night, wrapped in each other's arms, completely content for the first time in a over a year, because neither let themselves to think about the fallout that was sure to come from their actions. There would be time enough for that later.


	3. Introductions and First Confrontations

**Chapter 3:**

**Introductions and Confrontations**

When morning came to Diagon Alley, Harry awoke first. Smiling as he found Ginny in his arms, he pressed a kiss to her cheek and would have gone back to sleep had he not heard someone pounding on his door. Sighing at the unwelcome interruption of his blissful morning, Harry got up and headed for the front door, bypassing his clothes. When he opened the door, Harry found Zack, Luke and Nate on the landing.

"Where you been, mate?" asked Zack, taking in his friend and the boxers he was wearing.

"Here." Grumbled Harry sleepily, letting the three in despite his desire to shut the door on them and go back to sleep next to Ginny.

"I didn't see you at the party at all." Nate told him.

"Left early." Harry said as he waved his wand and made coffee.

"Must have been pretty early, cause around midnight the whole party broke up to go search for some missing girl." Luke informed him.

"Really." said Harry, barely paying any attention to what his friend said.

"I believe her last name was Weasley." Nate seemed to be building to something, but Harry was distracted when he realized that everyone thought Ginny was missing.

"Hey, Harry," began Zack, "That family, the one who kicked you out, wasn't their name Weasley?"

"Yeah." said Harry.

"You wouldn't happen to now where that girl went would you?" asked Nate.

"Alright. Her name is Ginny, and she was the reason they chucked me out. And I may know where she went." Harry said, knowing they would figure it out eventually anyway.

"I knew it!" exclaimed Luke, "Pay up, Zack."

"Harry, that's the last time I'm counting on your honour to win me a bet!" joked Zack as a handful of gold changed hands.

"Merlin, Harry. The first girl you date in the year we've known you, and her family hates you." Luke said with a teasing look.

"Yeah, well, keep it down, cause she's still asleep in my room." said Harry, trying to quiet his friends who only laughed and grew rowdier.

"That's okay, Harry, I'm up." Ginny said, coming in to give Harry a kiss.

"Okay, then." Harry said, watching as Ginny rummaged in the fridge, wearing only one of his t-shirts. His friends had been stricken silent by Ginny's sudden appearance in their friend's kitchen with her long red hair loose and sleep tousled, her long legs left bare by the large blue t-shirt.

When Ginny came to sit on Harry's lap, while eating an apple, Harry thought it might be time for introductions. "Gin, this is Nathan Deneenan, Zachary Brown and Lucas Bourassa. Nate, Luke, Zack, this is Ginny."

"How soon so we leave?" asked Nate, who rarely joked.

"Leave?" asked Harry.

"She's got at least five older brothers who were out last night searching for her." began Nate.

"Six, actually." interjected Ginny helpfully. " But Bill refuses to partake in locking me away, so he and Fleur, his wife, probably would't have been out looking for me, even if they were at the wedding."

"The youngest one looked furious and kept muttering about murdering 'him' if 'he' had anything to do with Ginny's escape. That Hermione Granger you used to hang out with had trouble keeping him calm." pointed out Nate. "We still have three Horcruxes and a Dark Lord to track down and destroy. You don't have time for angry older brothers. Especially not one as mad as the youngest one."

Harry's face had clouded over at the first mention of Ron, but Ginny just kept on eating her apple. "Ron could never hurt Harry. Even last year when he walked in on us, Ron let Fred, George and Charlie beat Harry while he watched. I could never quite decide which was better."

Abruptly Harry stood up and walked into the other room, nearly dumping Ginny on the floor. The four left in the kitchen heard a shattering sound, as though something large had been hit with a blast of magic. When Harry stalked back into the kitchen, Ginny put a hand on his arm. "He was my best friend and he let his three older brothers beat me up while he watched! Then I hear from Hermione that he refuses to come to see me while I recover unless _I _apologize to _him! _That, plus he and the twins are keeping you under lock and key, and your parents don't even care! He was my **_best friend!_**" Harry screamed. Ginny just wrapped her arms around him.

"I woke up days later to find out that I had once again lost everyone I cared about. I only had Hermione left and then she picked Ron over me! But I knew she would. I never could decide if it was harder or easier because I knew Hermione would choose Ron over me every time." Harry finally noticed Ginny's arms around him and hugged her back.

"You're okay now Harry." Ginny whispered. "You have your new friends and a new home… and now you have me."

"Yeah, but for how long this time?" Harry asked bitterly.

"For as long as you want me! Harry I'm not fifteen years old anymore. I'm finished school now, and in a week I'll be seventeen. This time I can stand by you, this time they won't get the chance to make sure I'm never alone, let alone with you." Ginny assured Harry, staring up into his green eyes.

"You'd give up your family for me?" asked Harry in awe. Family was the one thing he had always craved, and he could hardly credit that Ginny would be willing to part with hers for him.

"The way I see it, they gave us both up, not the other way around." replied Ginny.

"When do we leave?" asked Nate again.

"Where are we going?" asked Zack.

Instead of answering his friends directly, Harry turned to Ginny. "Didn't I hear that Bill is back in Egypt?"

"Pack up!" called out Nate as he, Luke and Zack entered the apartment the four girls shared across the hall from the boy's place. They were over top an out of the way café and beside the building that housed an used book store and Harry's apartment.

Juliet, Sammy, Tory and Angel looked surprised by Nate's announcement, but all four immediately stood and prepared to comply with orders. Packing up on short notice was part of the routine.

"Did you find something?" asked Angel as she looked around the living room for any things that were likely to be useful on a trip to an as of yet unidentified location.

"No," began Luke, "But Harry found a gorgeous sixteen year old girlfriend with five very angry older brothers and a nice one we're going to visit in Egypt."

"What!" screeched Juliet.

"Forget it, Juliet." Nate said sternly "She's the girl he got kicked out over last year. Harry's still in love with her, you never stood a chance."

Though she would have cursed anyone else for saying those things to her, Juliet took it from Nate. He had always been the leader of their group, though he and Harry now split that job, Nate was still given the most respect. He was in charge, he had to be brutally honest a great deal of the time. Still the words stung, and lacking any other recourse, Juliet flounced into her room and began packing.

"Tell us more." Commanded Sammy as she kissed Luke's cheek.

"Is there more to tell?" asked Angel "Nate told us to pack for Egypt, so let's go." Nate's girlfriend was already gathering things from the room around her.

"Of course there's more!" cried Tory as she sat down next to Zack on a couch, "This girl, what's she like?"

"Her name is Ginny Weasley, she's sixteen, has red hair just like all of her very angry brothers." Supplied Nate distastefully.

"It doesn't sound as though you approve." commented Angel as she set down a stack of scrolls she had picked up off the table seconds before and wrapping an arm around Nate's waist.

"She's only sixteen." Nate said disapprovingly.

"Harry turned eighteen less than a week ago. When's Ginny's birthday?" asked Sammy.

"In a week, she said." admitted Nate. "I always forget how much younger Harry is than us.

"I'm pretty sure Juliet does, too." Sammy mockingly comforted Nate. "Either that, or she doesn't mind the seven year difference in their ages."

"Juliet's not twenty-five, is she? I thought Luke was the oldest, and he's only twenty-four." frowned Zack.

"Nope. Jules is oldest, then Nate, then Luke. They're both twenty-four, and so is Sammy. You and Tory are twenty-three and I was the baby before Harry turned up." replied Angel.

"Really?" asked Zack sounding a tiny bit confused even then.

"Angel is right. Now let's get a move on." intervened Nate. "Harry wants to leave tomorrow and I say the sooner the better."

Harry pulled open the door to his apartment when someone pounded violently on it. Ginny stood watching from the end of the hallway until a flash of red hair caught her eye. Then she hurried into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Ginny sat on the edge of the tub and concentrated on being quiet.

Ron pushed past Harry a second later and stormed into his former best friend's house, looking around frantically. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"Who?" asked Harry coldly, nearly shutting the door on Hermione before he realized she was there.

"You know damn well who!" growled Ron.

"Harry, Ginny's missing. I had to come and ask if she came to you, then Ron found out I knew where you lived…"

"How could Ginny have come to me when thanks to her damn brothers she hasn't known where to find me at any point during the last year?" Harry snapped, calling on a year's worth of anger to hide his deception and prayed that Ginny too would remain hidden.

"The table has two sets of dirty dishes on it!" Ron cried, as he looked through the kitchen doorway.

"Yeah, one for me and one for a friend of mine." Harry grated out.

"Who?" asked Ron sharply.

"You wouldn't know her." Harry stalled, not sure which of his friend's names to use. The last time Hermione had been to see him was last November, which meant Tory had been dating Zack, which left Sammy, Juliet and Angel. It would be a very long time before Harry would even pretend to be interested in Juliet and Luke would not be impressed if he found out Harry had used his girlfriend's name. That left only Angel. Harry had to hope Nate would be more understanding if he found out…

"Who?" demanded Ron.

"Angel De Vita. I met her and a few others in the US. We've all drifted back here to work on a mission of mine. It's rather a relief that my new friends are willing to pitch in, considering my old friends turned out to be…well, you know." Harry finished nastily, hoping that Ginny would stay hidden and none of his new friends would turn up to blow his story.

"Really?" asked Ron unbelievingly "You think we're the ones in the wrong, even after all this time?"

"Yeah." Harry said challengingly.

"Harry, forgive us for interrupting your morning. Forgive Ron for being a prat just now. We're just worried about Ginny." Hermione pleaded, wondering how it had come to this between her best friends. "Ron thinks he said something to upset her last night and make her run away from Charlie's wedding."

"Am I supposed to be sorry she got away? Or surprised that it was Ron's fault? Because I'm not. Ginny is old enough to decide these things for herself. You lot need to let her grow up." Harry said, feeling relieved that every word of that was the truth.

"She's only sixteen! Last year she was only fifteen!" protested Ron.

"Get out." Harry said quietly.

"What?" asked Ron, startled by the abrupt change in Harry's tone.

"Get out. You don't get to come into my home and remind me about the most miserable time in my life. You gave up your right to even be my friend one year and a handful of days ago. Just get out." Harry remained calm, but there was a smouldering look in his deep green eyes that scared both his former best friends.

Ron left, fuming as he went.

Hermione hesitated, seeming to want to say something. Harry didn't give her the chance. "You made your decision months ago. You chose him. Leave." Still Hermione hesitated. "Don't worry about me, not that you would, Hermione. Sure it hurts to be betrayed by your best friends one after another, and to have the girl you love ripped from you barely a week after making up with her, but there can be other things to life." Hermione looked stricken but she didn't leave. "Eventually you find other things to live for, if you look really hard."

"Like what?" asked Hermione timidly.

"Like friends you can keep at arms length and going after the bad guy." Silently, Harry added thoughts of Ginny to his list.

"Is that all?"

"No. There are also parties and glasses of booze that I can't bring myself to drink. And then there's the best reason to go on surviving, and staying in England: the possibility of someday seeing her." Harry hadn't really meant to tell Hermione all of that.

"Oh, Harry, I tried to convince them that keeping you away from Ginny was wrong!" cried Hermione desperately.

"Did you? Well, it looks like you failed me one more time."

Hermione turned to flee down the hall to the door, but had to dodge around four witches on her way out. She barely noticed through her veil of tears and bushy brown hair.

"That was harsh, Harry." Sammy said disapprovingly.

"Yeah? I was her best friend for six years. I was her best friend when Ron was treating her horribly because of Viktor Krum, and when Ron dated Lavender and when Ginny told Ron that Hermione had kissed Krum and through all the stupid little fights they had. I stuck by her. She picked Ron over me. I say that was even harsher."

"Harry?" asked Ginny hesitantly from behind him. "Are we doing the right thing?"

"Do you never want to see me again? Are you choosing Ron over me, too?" he demanded fiercely.

"Of course not! Harry, I love you." Ginny cried.

All the anger melted from Harry. "I love you, too." Then despite the four witches still looking at them, Harry leaned over and kissed Ginny deeply.

"Harry!" Sammy called, trying to bring her friend back to reality before Juliet decided to curse both him and Ginny.

"Oh, sorry, Sammy." Harry said as he and Ginny pulled back a little. "This is Ginny. Gin, this is Samantha Loch, Victoria Freeman, Juliet Andrews and Angel De Vita."

"Hi." Ginny said as she stepped back from Harry, extending the hand that had been twined through Harry's shaggy hair to Tory, who was closest.

"It's Tory, definitely not Victoria." she said, glaring at Harry as she shook Ginny's hand.


	4. Trying to Leave it all Behind

Chapter Four Trying to Leave it All Behind 

"Remind me again why we're using muggle transport?" asked Ginny for the forth time as she sat on Harry's bed watching him pack.

"Because, love of my life, the Order is watching nearly every means of magical transportation I can think of. The only things they have no means of spying on are Apparition, which is out because your underage and brooms, which would be completely horrible on that long a journey. We'll fly by aeroplane from London to Cairo, where we'll find a place to stay while we owl Bill to come to see us." Harry explained for the fourth time as he threw more clothes in the trunk that was a relic from his Hogwarts days. So many of his things seemed to be leftovers from those long gone days.

"Have you ever ridden in on of these airplane things before?" Ginny asked, sounding a little nervous.

"A couple of times in the last year, when I wasn't in any hurry to get where I was going and wanted to relax while I travelled." Harry replied.

"Right. You told me that already." For a moment Ginny seemed to be debating whether to ask anything else. She got up and paced to the window, looking out for a moment before she made her decision. "Harry?"

"Yes, Gin?"

"Can you afford to take me along? It's only that I don't have any money, and neither of us have jobs…" Ginny trailed off, a light blush tinting her cheeks.

_Ah, _thought Harry, _This is where all her questions have been leading. _"Ginny, I don't ever have to worry about money. The vault Hagrid showed me when I was eleven contained roughly half of what my parents left me. I also got a rundown mansion that they owned but never lived in and all the stuff in it. Then Sirius left me everything, which besides the Order's headquarters was several properties, a ton of pure blood-ish artefacts and a ridiculous sum of money. Plus Dumbledore left me some money, among other things. Anyway, the point is, I'm fairly wealthy."

"Wow." Ginny said. "I had no idea."

"Neither did I. I didn't find out about most of it until last December." Harry replied with a shrug.

"Wow." Ginny said again.

"And, Ginny," began Harry after a silent moment.

"Yes?"

"As long as I have money, you do, too."

"You don't have to go that far!" cried Ginny.

"But I want to. I'm the reason that you currently haven't a thing to your name but a party dress." Harry teased.

"At least it's a very nice dress." Ginny replied, "Plus I intend to steal this shirt of yours, so I have that, too."

"Then you're all set!" exclaimed Harry jokingly, pulling Ginny close and kissing her.

Long moments later, Harry pulled away with a thoughtful expression. "I hadn't really thought about clothes or anything. You'll need at least a few things to take to Egypt."

"I suppose I will." Ginny answered, not paying much attention as she nibbled her way up Harry's neck.

"And you can't risk leaving the apartment to go shopping. Maybe I should get Angel and the girls to go for you." Harry said as he leaned in to begin some nibbling of his own.

Ginny sighed in extreme contentment, and then moved so their lips met and clung. At that moment, Harry scooped Ginny up and lowered her to his bed, stretching out on top of her. Harry's hands found their way to the hem of Ginny's too large shirt and slid it upward slowly, tantalizingly. Ginny raised her arms to accommodate the garment's removal then began to tug at Harry's shirt. Then their greedy mouths met again in a haze of sweet, sweet joy.

As the seconds passed, Ginny reached for Harry's belt and he tugged at her bra. Suddenly there was the sound of a door opening and voices calling out to Harry and Ginny.

The two in the bedroom sprang apart guiltily, as though they were still a pair of school kids making out in broom cupboards and secluded corners. Harry redid his belt clumsily, looking around frantically for the two long gone shirts. Ginny was meanwhile fumbling with the clasp of her bra. As they worked at making themselves decent again the voices came closer. Just as Harry found the shirts, the door opened and revealed Nate, Zack, Luke and Angel. Knowing he was too late, Harry hurled one of the shirts to Ginny. She caught it and tugged it over her head smiling cheekily despite the furious Weasley blush covering her cheeks.

"Great pass. I always thought you should try out for chaser." Too late, Ginny remembered that she had made the same teasing remark on the fate filled night the previous year.

"This from the girl who once blushed the second I walked in the room, let alone said hi." Harry muttered as his own blush spread.

For a moment after Nate, Zack, Luke and Angel left the bedroom where they had expected to find Harry packing, not making out with his girlfriend, no one said anything, they just waited for the embarrassed pair to finish dressing and come out. Then, all of sudden and out of nowhere, Nate started to laugh.

"What is it?" asked Angel, who felt sorry for the two they had walked in on.

"They are just so young!" exclaimed Nate breathlessly.

"I know what you mean." Luke said. "How many times have we walked in on each other? So many we just consider it the hazard of being roommates and get the hell out of Dodge as quickly as possible." Luke answered his own question. "But those two probably sprang apart the instant they hear us and didn't even think to yell and tell us to get out and mind our own business."

"I feel sorry for Harry. He has no luck where this girl is concerned." Zack chuckled.

"And here I always thought that I was the one without luck where Harry was concerned, not the other way around." Ginny quipped as she led her very embarrassed out of the bedroom. When Harry sat down on his couch across from his friends on various pieces of furniture, Ginny sat on his lap.

"Well, if the lack of luck ever gets old, come see me." Zack offered with a teasing grin and a big wink.

"What would Tory say if she heard you? Maybe I'll tell her just to find out." Angel offered on Ginny's behalf.

"Did you come over for some reason?" asked Harry, cutting short Zack's retort.

"Just to tell you that we're nearly ready to go." Nate responded. He had dropped back to his usual serious and in control demeanour.

"Yes, well, we've hit on a bit of a snag," replied Harry "Ginny hasn't a stitch to wear beyond the dress she had on at the wedding. I was hoping Angel would be willing to take some of the others and pick her up some things. We can hardly go strolling around together, even in muggle London. Some one from the Order is bound to see us."

"Why should it matter if the Order of the Phoenix sees you together?" asked Nate, suddenly suspicious.

"Well, nearly my whole family is part of it. I'm not technically a member because I'm too young, but I've been living at the headquarters since school let out and during most the summer holidays while I was at Hogwarts. The only time my family was actually living at home was for about a month surrounding Bill's wedding last year." Ginny told Nate, unaware of how few details of the past Harry had told his new friends.

"You've been at headquarters all this time?" asked Harry, stunned.

"Yeah. Why?" asked Ginny.

"Well, I could have come and got you had I known that!" cried Harry.

"How?"

"I don't know exactly, but there had to have been a way." Harry mused.

"Why did there have to be a way?" Ginny was really starting to get confused. Harry wasn't making a whole lot of sense.

"Because I own headquarters."

"But they're not using Grimauld Place anymore." Ginny said.

"I know, but I let them have one of the other properties that I inherited. It's a bit nicer than Sirius's house and there are even fewer people who know about it." Harry scowled darkly.

"How _is _Kreacher?" Ginny asked delicately.

"Horrible, miserable and crazy." Harry replied.

"Same as usual, then." Ginny said with a grin.

"Pretty much, yeah. He and Dobby still fight on a regular basis, but I've given up trying to intervene, especially since Dobby got fed up with me and hightailed it back to Hogwarts."

"He didn't!" Ginny exclaimed.

"He did. Said he'd come back when I went back to being the old me and started caring about people again." Harry said with a grim smile.

"From what I can tell, the pipsqueak can come back." Interjected Zack. "You're different since Ginny got here."

"That's ridiculous!" cried Ginny, "I've only been here a day."

"No, Zack's right. Harry has changed. He does seem to care more." Angel agreed thoughtfully.

"That's enough of that," Harry began, "There are more important things to deal with just now. Like the fact that you never answered the original question, Angel."

"Yes, I'd be happy to take the girls and shop for Ginny." Angel agreed, frustrated that Harry was being so business minded when it seemed that they were about to learn more about his shrouded past and the girl that seemed to play a big part in it.

"Thanks," Harry said, polite but seemingly worried, "Uh… do you think it's a good idea to take Juliet along? I don't think she'd be to happy with… uh… certain aspects of this…uh, mission." Harry's glance slid to Ginny and Angel understood what he was trying to say without upsetting his girlfriend.

"If she doesn't come, she'll probably end up over here," Angel warned.

"Is that a bad thing?" asked Ginny.

"Well, she's spent the past two months trying to get Harry to sleep with her and then you showed up and pretty much forced her to see it wasn't gonna happen. Juliet can be catty when vexed." Luke stated bluntly.

"Oh," Ginny said as she secretly began to wonder about the other girl who wanted Harry for herself.

"These last few weeks Harry has even refused to be in the same room with her unless at least three of us are with him. If it hadn't been so pathetic, I would have laughed." Zack's teasing made Ginny feel a little better that someone else had been trying to snare Harry while she hadn't been around.

"Well, in the end I'm grateful. If it hadn't been for Juliet threatening to come over here if I stayed home, than I wouldn't have gone to the wedding." Harry informed the group.

"Really?" asked Ginny, feeling even better at Harry's words than she had at Zack's. "Than I'm grateful, too." Ginny grinned widely as Harry leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Harry, you really have changed on us." Zack repeated his earlier sentiment with a shake of his shaggy blonde head.

"Have I?" asked Harry as he snuggled Ginny closer to him, distantly annoyed that the topic had wondered back to this point again.

"You have." Luke assured him, rolling his eyes at the sappy look on his friends face.

"That's odd." Ginny, who was paying only the slightest attention to the others, said. "You're almost exactly as I remember you."

The three males rolled their eyes and shot each other commiserating looks.

Angel sighed and said, "Nate, you were right. So young, and so in love."

Harry and Ginny both blushed slightly as the three wizards chuckled. "I guess we are pretty young next to you, grandmother Angel," teased Ginny, "You must be all of what, twenty?"

"Twenty-two!" exclaimed Angel, as though proud of every one of those years.

"My mistake," conceded Ginny, with a smile.

"Just don't let it happen again," Angel jokingly warned. "If you do, I'll be forced to exact revenge."

"What'll you do to me?" asked Ginny is fake terror.

"Oh nothing much. Maybe I'll just get your boyfriend to tell me all your secrets and blackmail you for the rest of your life." Angel laughed.

"You wouldn't want to do that. Besides, Harry's secrets are better than mine and I would be more easily persuaded to tell them," said Ginny, with a wink.

"Alright. For the last time, enough of this! I don't want to hear even one more word about anything that happened earlier than yesterday." Harry decreed, thoroughly feed up with having the past dragged up.

"Okay, Harry." Nate agreed, as his serious manner spread to the rest of the group. "Alright, Angel, you round up the girls and get some muggle clothes for Ginny and any one else who doesn't have stuff suitable to wear in Egypt. Do not take all day, we have a flight to make."

"Right." Angel replied before writing down the sizes Ginny told her and heading for the door, a sizeable budget procured from Harry.

"Next we need some one to settle our bills here. The landlords, the bars and any shops we've got credit in. I want to be able to come back here without running across angry people who think we've skipped out on paying them." Nate instructed.

"I'll do it," volunteered Zack.

"Good. There are a few things some one will have to buy for the trip. Who wants that one?" Nate asked.

"You'd better do it, Nate, you know best what we have and what we need. Plus you've been to Egypt before so you no what's need in that country." Harry suggested.

"You've been there, too." Luke reminded him.

"Yeah, but that trip was very short and very focused. I could have been anywhere, for all the attention I paid the place." Harry muttered.

"Alright, I'll go for supplies. Someone needs to do a final sweep of the other apartments, check to make sure everything useful is packed and everything perishable taken care of. And some one should stay here, make calls on that muggle phone Harry hooked up, and you know… keep an eye out." Nate said, doling out duties after accepting his own.

"Luke, you do the other apartments, I'll stay here." Harry offered.

Even as Luke nodded, Ginny asked, "What's here that needs protection?"

"Well, its not really protection that's needed…" Zack trailed off.

"Ginny, if your brothers turn up, than I want as many people between you and them as possible. I have a feeling that I'll be seeing at least Fred and George before we leave." Harry said earnestly.

"Maybe, but you should know, after the beat you up, they forgave you. It's Charlie and Ron who can hold grudges." Ginny replied, glad that Harry was staying with her, even if it wasn't strictly necessary.


	5. Chapter 5 Preparing to Take Flight

Chapter Five 

**Preparing to Take Flight**

A little more than three hours after they had left, four witches and many shopping bags converged on Harry's apartment. Then all Sammy, Tory, Angel and Juliet whisked Ginny off into Harry's room, leaving Harry to wonder what they were up to as the water ran in the on suite bathroom.

Many boredom filled moments later, Zack, Luke and Nate arrived. Harry sat and told them about the travel plans he had confirmed from the muggle telephone he had installed in his apartment for just that reason.

After an hour had passed, Harry was beginning to worry that they would miss their flight if the witches didn't finish up quickly, even though they still had an hour left before they should leave. He had started to wonder if he should go in to hurry them along when Sammy, Tory, Juliet and Angel emerged from his room. All four looked pleased with themselves.

"Allow us to introduce Harry's new and improved, mysterious and completely unrecognizable girl friend!" Sammy announced enthusiastically.

Ginny stepped forward and Harry's mouth fell open. She looked completely different.

Instead of the tomboyish hand-me-downs that Harry was used to seeing her in, Ginny wore a tight black mini skirt, a cropped black tank top that bore the words 'dark angel' in deep purple lettering and knee high black boots. The whole outfit left a lot of pale skin exposed, leaving Harry with the distinct impression that he should cover her up, at least until they were alone again.

But it was the hair that really shocked Ginny's boyfriend. Dyed a shade of purple that would of done their friend Tonks proud, it was twisted up in a complicated braided knot. The effect was so different from her usual cascading read locks of flaming red that Harry would hardly have recognized her, even without the creamy make-up that was caked on to hide Ginny's faint freckles and the black lipstick and nail polish that the girls had finished the look off with.

"Guess Bill's not the only Weasley that would fit in better at a rock concert than a bank." Harry joked with a half smile.

"You mean his earring and his hair? That how I've always pictured bank employees." Ginny returned with a grin that instantly made her more recognizable.

"Speaking of earrings, Potter, can you convince your girlfriend that hear shaped earrings ruin the whole outfit?" begged Tory. "She refuses to give them up!"

"Heart shaped? As in the ones we spent all that time looking for that night in the broom cupboard?" asked Harry curiously.

"Yeah. The ones my grandma gave me." Ginny replied, blushing and smiling as she recalled the night Harry had mentioned. That night was the last time Ginny had ever taken those earrings out.

"Why was your earring in a broom cupboard?" asked Luke with an interested look at Ginny's blush.

"Well… that's where we were when it came undone…" Ginny said, blushing even deeper.

"I sense a story here!" exclaimed Zack.

"Well you can pester it out of them on the plan, cause we gotta get going, or risk being late." Nate ordered.

"Wait! I'm not sure Ginny should leave the house like that!" cried Harry.

"He's right," agreed Sammy. "You need sunglasses so you won't be recognized." As she said it, Sammy pulled an overlarge pair of dark sunglasses from one of the shopping bags and plunking them down on Ginny's nose. "Problem solved."

As the others left, gabbing the luggage that the boys had stacked by the door, Harry followed though he certainly didn't think the 'problem' was 'solved'.

As the nine trudged down the stairs and into the street, they nearly collided with a smaller group that was heading up to see Harry. Both groups stopped dead at the sight of the other, Harry's friends all recognizing Hermione, who they knew, and four of the Weasley brothers, by their hair and freckles. The Weasleys didn't know anyone in the other group except Harry, but he was enough to bring them up short.

Finally the two Weasley twins walked up to where Harry stood with his arm wrapped around the waist of a girl with purple hair and too much makeup. "Oi, Potter. We hear our little brother came to see you this morning," began Fred.

"So we were wondering if our other younger sibling had turned up. Maybe you introduced her to this lovely lady and dear Ginny fled. What did Ron say your name was? Angie? Angel?" George picked up the conversation where his twin left off.

"Nah, I'm Angel. She's Nate's cousin, Lola," replied Angel with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. She knew Harry had let his friends believe that they were a couple and she felt that now was a good time to get him back.

"But I though you spent the night at Harry's?" piped up Hermione from between Ron and Charlie.

"I did," Angel stated, as Harry cringed, knowing that contradicting her would look like they were up to something. Like smuggling a sixteen-year-old girl out of the country right under the noses of her very protective older brothers. "When Lola came into town this afternoon, we switched. Kissing cousins is a little kinky, even for us." Angel said it with a smile that belied the falseness of her statement.

All four Weasley brothers looked utterly shocked, as did Hermione. Most of Harry's group was having varying degrees of success trying not to laugh. When Zack had himself under control, he decided to keep it going, trying to buy enough time for Harry to figure out how to get Ginny away without being recognized.

"Don't worry, if your sister shows up, we'll be very nice to her. Maybe we'll even invite her to join us for a while before we send her on her way." To all his friends, it was clear that Zack was joking.

However, the Weasleys didn't seem to see it that way. It seemed to be a toss up whether Ginny or one of her brothers would be the first to hit Zack, a fact that Harry quickly sized up. Turning to Zack, he decided to intervene before things took a violent turn.

"You're out of line, Zack," he flatly stated. A warning was clear in his voice, and Zack backed off, leaving Harry to turn and face the other group. "Just so you lot know, we're not like that. Angel and I are only friends who happened to share breakfast while planning the trip we are about to embark on. This is indeed Nate's cousin Lola. She and I have been dating for a month. Thanks to you, I haven't seen Ginny, well since the last time I saw any of you. Now you know all the details of my life, I'm taking my friends and leaving before I decide to screw playing nice and kick the shit out of you all. As you can see, the odds are slightly more in my favour than last time."

"About that, Harry," began Fred.

"We want you to know," added George.

"So long as you have nothing to do with Ginny's disappearance," interjected Fred.

"We consider all that water under the bridge," said George.

"And we're sorry we took it out on you." Finished Fred.

"Yeah, well, if it weren't for your younger brother and his girlfriend, I might too." Harry felt absolutely horrible saying that as he stood tightly gripping the hand of the youngest Weasley. Ginny nervously shifted so she was half hidden behind Harry, pushing her dark glasses more tightly to her heavily powdered face.

Hermione's attention caught on the younger girl, her brown eyes widening suddenly in recognition. Nate saw this and came to stand shoulder to shoulder with Harry, hiding Ginny more completely. Angel picked up on Nate's manoeuvre and slowly pulled Ginny over to form a tight circle of females around her as Luke and Zack went to join Harry and Nate. Slowly, the girls tried to slip off without being noticed as the boys tried to distract the Weasleys and Hermione. Barely veiled threats and crude jokes were thick in the air and the tactic partially worked.

Just as the girls were leaving earshot of the others and melting into the crowds, Hermione caught up with them. "Wait! Ginny, I need to talk to you!"

The four older witches swung around, pulling out their wands and preparing to duel as they faced Hermione with Ginny behind them. The younger girl just pushed through them to face Hermione Granger, one of her best friends, with he arms folded stubbornly across her chest. Ginny was prepared to take her stand against all of her family and those they counted close.

"Gin, they're worried." Hermione said it quietly.

"Hermione, they're jerks," came the response.

"Well, yes, but they love you," Hermione sighed.

"Harry loves me and he's not a jerk, so guess who wins?" Ginny bit out sarcastically.

"No one does, not if you leave and forget about us all." Hermione pronounced gravely.

"It's not forever, just until after my birthday. We're coming back when I'm seventeen, and we'll settle things, make them right," Ginny explained with a pained expression.

"Sixteen." Hermione said after a slight pause.

"What's sixteen?" asked Ginny confusedly.

"Sixteen is the number of people we've lost in the last two weeks. Isn't that how long it is until your birthday." With that, Hermione slipped off into the crowds, going back to where her boyfriend and his brothers were still fighting with her former best friend and three of the people Hermione had never thought belonged around Harry.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was a bit shorter than most, but that's because it's just about the only place I could break the story up without hurting the flow. So, never fear, more soon.**

**I just want to say thank you to all the people who have taken the time to read my story, and especially those who have reviewed. It's so great to hear that people like my story, plus I get some great ways to improve that way (just so you know, I spell checked this one about three times)!**

**I hope you liked this chapter, and more is on the way as soon as I can get it typed up!**

**---QueenKalasin**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six 

**Reunions and Advice**

A/N: Just to warn you, this is the chapter that is most deserving of the rating thus far. There may be more later, but this is definitely the most explicit thus far. And sorry it's been so long since I updated. I got really wrapped up in schoolwork and student council and dance and peer helpers and yearbook and about a million other things (I know, I know, most of you are sitting their thinking 'major over- achiever!)

Ginny held tightly to Harry's hand, anxious for many reasons. She still wasn't sure if running away with Harry was the best decision, and Hermione's parting words in Diagon Ally hadn't helped. But her most pressing fear was that of the fact that they were about to be launched into the sky by a machine that wasn't powered by magic and was definitely heavier than a broom.

Harry leaned over and kissed his nervous girlfriend's cheek, running his free hand through the purple hair that now hung free and reached her waste. Harry was happy she hadn't cut it, as he had first feared she had when she had it all twisted up. Ginny looked different enough even without chopping off her long locks. The changes were, however, less pronounced after a short stop at the airport loo. Ginny had washed off her makeup, thrown a baggy hooded sweatshirt over her tank top, done away with her ridiculous sunglasses and, of course, freed her hair from whatever had been holding it in place.

"I've been meaning to ask, what did you do to this?" Harry asked, holding up a lock of purple hair.

"My hair? We used muggle hair dye on it, which apparently means it will be back to normal in a few weeks." Harry's tactic worked for a moment as Ginny was distracted from her nerves, but she quickly remembered them.

"That's a relief," Harry valiantly tried again. "I would miss your red hair pretty quickly." Harry smiled and entwined his fingers in Ginny's thick hair, a very good way of distracting Ginny coming to mind. Harry pulled her closer, kissing Ginny passionately. With a covert glance to check if they were allowed to take off their seatbelts, Harry unbuckled them and picked Ginny up. He sat down in the window seat, carefully placing Ginny on top of him so that she faced towards the window, blocking his hands from view as he massaged her upper inner thigh under the cover of her skirt.

As his hand climbed higher, Ginny gasped against Harry's mouth and greedily pressed herself against him, frustrated by the damp material of her lacy black panties that kept him out. Ginny melted entirely as Harry pushed aside that last barrier and lightly stroked her entrance. Ginny inched closer, wanting him to push inside. When Harry gently did, Ginny smothered an elated cry against Harry's throat. It was torturous heaven to sit in his lap, his hardness pressing against her right thigh, his hand warming her left breast and his other hand stroking slowly between quivering thighs.

Ginny moved her mouth against Harry's neck, trailing kisses and light bites down his throat, ever more erratically as he continued to create a steady rhythm inside her.

"Umm… Harry, Ginny…" came the hesitant voice, penetrating the fog that had wrapped around their minds slowly.

Harry quickly withdrew his hand and tried to straighten Ginny's skirt without calling attention to where his fingers had been. He was at least partially successful, mostly because Ginny has turned her head, bruised lips and all, to answer the female who stood in the aisle beside Harry's empty seat.

"What is it, Sammy?" asked Ginny pleasantly, only her fiery blush letting on that she even knew that she and Harry had just been interrupted having a very private moment in a very inappropriate place.

"Nate wants you two to come talk to us about our plans for after we land," Sammy said, not sure whether she more wanted to laugh or to have come to fetch the pair a bit later.

"We'll be there in a few moments," Harry said, his blushing cheeks mostly hidden behind his girlfriend.

"Right," said Sammy as she headed back to her spot several rows ahead, near the middle of the plane.

When she reached the others, Nate immediately turned to ask her a question. "Are Harry and Ginny coming?"

"Yes, but they'll be a little while." Sammy stated.

"Why?" demanded Nate impatiently.

"Well, when I went over there, Harry had his hand up her skirt, so I imagine they'll want some time to freshen up." Sammy bluntly stated as she sat down on Luke's lap, leaving her seat across the aisle, beside Tory, open for Ginny and Harry.

After a few seconds of shocked silence that only Sammy was immune to, Nate slowly began to shake his head. " I can't believe how irresponsibly Harry has been acting since Ginny showed up. He's acting like-"

"Like an eighteen year old boy who just got back with the girl he's madly in love with?" Tory questioned innocently.

"Yeah," Nate grumbled. "I guess I'm just used to the serious, mature Harry who's been fighting along side us for the last year."

"Well, actually we're really fighting along side him. Harry's been fighting this war since he was a kid, so it's his battle, really. It's also a good reason to let him have a little fun with Ginny while he can. I get the feeling the good times won't last long for them," interjected Zack with unusual gravity.

"They could at least wait until they're not in public," grumbled Nate.

"Could we please talk about something else?" begged Juliet sulkily.

"Let's talk about our plans after we land," interjected Harry who had just come to stand beside

"Right, take it away." Nate said after everyone had shifted the best they could so they could hear Harry in the cramped space.

"When we land, we go to a hotel I found. We- that is to say, Ginny- owl Bill and tell him she's in Cairo with a few friends and wants to stop by. Its kinda weak, but I don't want her to put anything in writing that could even possibly be used to prove that we ran away together before it was legal. Certain brothers seem willing to sink quite low, and I'd rather not give them more to use against me. So after Bill gets our owl, we'll probably go to his place. He lives in a small magical community just outside Cairo with his wife and their kid. A daughter, right, Gin?" Harry directed the question at Ginny who was sitting on his lap.

"Yeah, she's a really quite girl. Her name's Monique. I haven't seen any of them in forever. Bill couldn't come to Charlie's wedding because of order stuff, so I doubt he even knows I'm 'missing'." The expression on Ginny's face was such a hodgepodge of longing, guilt and more that it hurt Harry to look at her.

"So, I was thinking after we make sure that Bill will let his family know that Ginny's alright, we might want to take off again, maybe spend sometime in North America. Ginny's never been, and I thought we might show her about a bit and be hard to find for the two weeks before her birthday. Of course, the draw back is that in America what we're doing is even less legal since Ginny will be two week and a year too short of the age of consent." Said Harry, talking to avoid thinking about the pain he was causing Ginny by taking her from her family, even voluntarily.

"Why don't we head for Iceland. The age of consent there is fourteen." Luke suggested.

"I won't even ask why you know that!" exclaimed Ginny as a few of the others threw him a suspicious look.

"Good, cause I'm about as ready to tell that story as Harry is ready to explain how he and Ginny ended up in a broom cupboard the time Ginny lost her earring," joked Luke.

"Speaking of that, Harry and I have some catching up to do. We were in the middle of discussing old times when Sammy came to get us." Ginny stated, standing up and pulling Harry after her with out a backward glance for their wolf-whistling and giggling friends.

A/N: One further note, in response to a review I couldn't respond to in any other way.

From: Lisa ()

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I like this a lot. It seems to get better with every chapter. I'm not sure

what Hermione's closing remarks meant about losing sixteen people?

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**Thanks for reviewing, it means a lot to me (as do all my reviews). And to answer your question, Hermione meant that the Order of the Phoenix and those who work with them had lost sixteen people in the previous two weeks. Either they had been killed, captured, gone missing or were in some other way incapacitated, the order has lost them for at least the time being. I hope that made more sense to you than it did in the story, if not, you can yell at me via another review and I'll try and explain better. If anyone else didn't get Hermione's comment, it would be great if you could tell me so I can go back and change that part of the story.**

**Anyway, thanks for reviewing, Lisa and everyone else too! **

**---QK**


	7. Chapter 7

From: Toghgal ()

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was hermione's comment sapposed to guilt trip Ginny? ok now down to business I really like the story so far. Typical American young men and women. Crashing Parties. (lol) just one more question though. When Hermione relized that the young girl was Ginny and she called her name wouldnt the other brothers heard?

Becuase werent they like right there. I didnt really understand that part that

much. Great story though.

Hermione's comment was partly supposed to guilt trip Ginny, but it was also supposed to remind her that there were risks (like forever losing part of her family while she was fighting with them) to what she was doing.

And Ginny(accompanied by the other girls) had slipped off into the crowds. Hermione had followed them, and hadn't called Ginny's name until they were out of earshot. Hermione didn't want to give Ginny away and have her brothers force her to come back with them, she wanted Ginny to make the choice on her own.

Anyway, after writing that response to Toghgal's review, I realised how horrible I'm making Ginny's brothers seem. That was not the intent of this story. They love her, are way too over protective and are under a lot of stress. They are reacting poorly.

Now, enjoy the new chapter!

--QK

**Chapter Seven**

**Advice**

"How's this?" asked Ginny before beginning to read out the letter she had just completed. "Bill, I've just arrived in Cairo with some friends and I was hoping to visit you. I have something rather important to tell you. Love always, Ginny."

"I think that's as good as we can hope for. Some things are better said in person and some should just not be put in writing." Harry replied as he sent Nate's owl off with the letter, all the while wishing Hedwig, his beautiful snowy owl wasn't so conspicuous.

"I wonder what he'll think," fretted Ginny.

"Relax, breathe. We'll know soon enough." Harry chided lovingly as he wrapped Ginny in a loose hug.

"Since when are you so calm?" grumbled Ginny as she leaned so her forehead just touched Harry's.

"Since I began to actually fight Voldemort. When you're spending week after week, month after month on constant alert, watching for attack and worrying about your friends, you learn to take the smaller things as they come. If everything in your life is treated like it could end your world, then it will. Or at least you'll go crazy." As Harry spoke, he led Ginny to the couch and began to massage her shoulders.

As always when they touched, things began to escalate. Harry leaned over the back of the couch so he could kiss Ginny and he slid his hands over her shoulders and under her shirt to trace the tops of her breasts with his fingertips through her bra. Ginny eased down to lay flat on her back and pulled Harry with her, nearly dragging him crashing down on top of her as he stumbled on the couch back. Harry eased himself over and began to slide off the black tank top that had been revealed again when Ginny had tossed aside the heavy hoodie. A black lace bra was left and Harry traced his tongue a long the upper edge, drawing a shiver from Ginny. As Harry kissed Ginny's chest more thoroughly, his hands did away with the mini skirt. When that was gone, all Ginny wore was her lacy scraps of underwear and her black knee high boots. He just stared at the sight she made with her long purple hair dishevelled.

Suddenly both decided that Harry had too many clothes on. Harry pulled his shirt off as Ginny disposed of his belt and jeans Hot kisses were interspersed with the removal of more clothing until Harry knelt tentatively with his mouth the smallest possible distance from the apex of Ginny's thighs. Ginny pushed his head down and kept it there as Harry sucked then thrust with his tongue.

Then, gasping his name, Ginny's whole being exploded pleasurably. After a few moments of blissful oblivion, Ginny pulled Harry up her body, arousing them both, until he faced her. Planting a kiss on his cheek, she said, "Wow."

"We're not through yet," said Harry as he thrust into her and began to move.

An hour and a half after Harry and Ginny fell into an exhausted sleep in the bedroom, someone knocked on the suite's door. Ginny pulled herself up from the warm spot beside Harry and pulled one of his shirts from the unpacked suitcase to cover herself. On her way past the couch, she pulled on her under things and tossed the rest of their forgotten clothes towards the bedroom. Running a hand through her hair, Ginny answered the door.

"Bill!" she cried, shocked, as the red headed individual scooped her up into a great big hug.

All Ginny could think was, _I'm glad I stopped for my knickers!_

Bill set down his little sister and looked at her more closely than he first had. Ginny had definitely changed. "Why is your hair purple?" he asked.

"Because I dyed it so we could escape London temporarily. Why are you here?" she responded.

"Your letter worried me a bit. You didn't sound like yourself, so I decided to come see you right away. Are you ready to go? Fleur gave me strict orders not to come home until I had you so she could have a long visit with someone. She's claims that she doesn't see anyone since we moved to Egypt." Bill told Ginny.

"Maybe that's more because you had a daughter after moving to Egypt." Ginny teased "I can't wait to see Fluer and Monique, but I can't leave without at least telling my friends. Besides, I think you'll probably want to speak with one of them first."

"Who?" asked Bill with suspicion.

"I suspect she means me, though you should ask Ginny just to be certain." The voice came from the bedroom doorway, and Bill and Ginny turned to see Harry lounging there in only his jeans.

"What have you done, Ginny?" moaned Bill as he turned back to his purple haired sister.

"Harry and I have decided that we've had enough with being kept apart for no good reason. We want to be together, so we've made that happen." Ginny said as she crossed to snuggle into Harry's side.

"It's not that simple! Harry's 18, your only 16! He could be charged with kidnapping, hell, even statutory rape!" Bill bite out, shocked, but already sensing that his words didn't matter to this pair. Maybe it was in the way they stood wrapped around each other, Ginny in only his T-shirt, Harry in only a rumpled pair of jeans, yet perfectly comfortable with their states of half undress. Like lovers.

They looked ready to take on the world.

"Bill, I love her." Harry simply stated.

"That's wonderful, but its not always enough!" Bill was shouting now because he was scared for Harry and Ginny and what they would have to face.

"I love him." Ginny stubbornly returned.

"That may make things better, or maybe worse, but its still not enough." Bill said, his shouts weakening.

"My birthday is in two weeks! We're only hiding until then!" Ginny felt her anger bubble as she was forced to defend their relationship and their choices.

"Bill, as soon as we can be sure they can't force us apart, we're going back. We'll make things right with anyone who's willing to let us do it." Harry was calm in the face of Bill's shouts and Ginny's building anger.

"Anyone? What about Ron?" scoffed Bill.

"I don't care if Harry and Ron never make up! Ron betrayed Harry! He doesn't deserve Harry as a friend!" Ginny was really fuming by that point.

"You'll really let a boy tear your family apart? Is anyone, even a boy you claim to love, worth that?" Bill spoke quietly, but in a way that made Harry wish he were still yelling.

"I do love him!" shouted Ginny, "And I'm not the one letting my family be torn apart! It's them! They treated Harry like part of the family when he was Ron's best friend, but they won't except him as my boyfriend!" Ginny cried.

"There was more going on that night than them walking in on the pair of you!" cried Bill in exasperation.

"What?" asked Harry sharply.

Bill looked trapped for a moment, as though he wished he hadn't said what he had. Then his shoulders straightened. "You know what? Its time people got over being angry long enough to unlock the truth. Hell, its time to figure out who knows the truth. Do you know where Mum, Charlie, Fred, George and Ron were before they came home to find the pair of you starkers on the couch?" Bill actually seemed to want a response.

"I don't know." Ginny grated out.

"They had just come from being told that Fleur and I had gone missing in France and that the order had also lost track of Dad. You can imagine that they were rather stressed out. When they got back, it probably seemed like you two were blithely carrying on, spitting in the face of their worry for us. Charlie and the twins poured their frustrations into hitting you, though it seems that wasn't quite enough for Charlie. He needs to grow up a bit. Ron didn't have that outlet, he couldn't hit you, but it probably killed him to think that when he needed his best friend, Harry was too busy shagging his little sister to care. Not that I'm saying that that's true, but that's probably how Ron saw it." Bill added before either could protest.

Silence followed Bill's explanation.

"I didn't know, no one ever said anything…"

"Not to me, either." Ginny responded when her boyfriend trailed off.

"Yeah, I expect it changes your perspective to know all that." Bill commented.

"What do we do?" asked Harry, turning to Ginny.

"Stick to our plan. Just because we know more of the truth now, won't make things any easier to resolve back home. I'd rather not have them capable of levelling kidnapping charges or whatever else at you." Ginny firmly replied.

"Alright. I think I'd better leave. I can delay writing home until this afternoon, but no later. They're certainly very worried about you." Bill hugged his sister, nodded to Harry and left, wishing life were easier for them and hoping that he had made it a little more so.

"It's a good thing we didn't unpack." Harry said.

"Yeah, but I had hoped to see Fluer and Monique." Said Ginny.

"We'll come back when things are less crazy." Harry promised. Ginny just looked up at him and smiled before pulling him down for a kiss that led other places.

Hours later, just as Harry and his friends were stepping through a fire in Cairo, an owl was winging its way to the Weasley's.

The message it bore was simple:

_GMW is safe. Don't worry._

_BW, FW and MW_

The same owl had just finished delivering a short note to a hotel in Cairo before being sent on a much longer journey. That message too was short.

_GM and HJ,_

_Don't let your family slip away. You'll need them sooner than you think. They love you both, even though they don't seem to._

_Your brother,_

_B_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

**The Question**

For nearly two weeks, Harry, Luke, Zack, Nate, Tory, Sammy, Angel, and even Juliet had shown Ginny a fine sampling of all the magical hotspots in New York, Boston and Chicago. With only a day and a night left before Ginny's birthday, Harry had a plan that he wanted to execute before returning to London and going to face Ginny's family.

On that last morning of their trip, the very day before Ginny turned 17, Harry woke her by straddling her hips, trapping her hands above her head with silk ropes and leaning down to suckle first one breast than the other. By the time she was fully awake, Ginny was already beginning to climax. She bucked against him, nearly to the breaking point before he pulled back the hand that had been toying inside her. She was about to protest, but Harry came back. It was only when she went to run a hand through his hair that she noticed the hand binds that had always been there. She next discovered that Harry had left her briefly so he could tie her legs to the bedposts.

"If you want something, you'll have to ask." Harry teased.

"Alright," began Ginny, licking her lips, "I want your lips on me."

"I can see that happening." Harry replied as he trailed slow kisses up the inside of her thighs, stopping short of where she most wanted him to be. "What do you think?" he asked, "How I'm doing?"

"Inside me. I want your lips inside me." She ordered.

Harry complied. As he suckled, harder and harder, she climaxed under him. Harry gave her just enough time to recover before replacing his lips with a finger. Then he added a second one. Ginny rocked against him crazily for long moments. When she lay panting and recovering, Harry stretched out flat on top of her and kissed her deeply on the mouth as his hands roamed elsewhere. Finally, with Ginny begging him to do it, Harry slowly pushed inside her. They rocked together and plunged over the edge together and lay panting together when it was over.

Later, Ginny looked up at Harry from the circle of his arms, glad that he had untied her so that she could snuggle close to him. "What a nice way to wake up."

"I thought it would be." Harry replied with a grin.

Moments passed in comfortable silence before either spoke again.

"I love you, Ginny." Harry said as he stroked her back.

"I love you, too." Ginny replied, kissing his cheek.

"Do you really, really love me, Gin?"

"Do you even have to ask?"

"No, I just wanted to be sure you knew how much you love me and how much I love you."

"Of course I do."

That was what Harry had hoped to hear her say. "Then, will you marry me?" he asked.

The question hung there for a moment, and Harry began to worry she would say no. There were a lot of good arguments against it, after all.

"I know we're young, but Ginny, I love you so much. And I know most 17 year olds would want to wait for later, but for me, later may never come. Don't you think it would be better to be married for a little while when we're too young than to never have the chance because I die in this war?"

"Harry, I love you so much! Just give me a moment to think!" Ginny cried.

Two days later, Ginny and Harry stood before the door of invisible Order of the Phoenix headquarters, talking quietly. Nate watched the pair as Harry finished clasping a gold chain around Ginny's neck. After that was done, the pair grabbed hands and Nate turned away.

As he wandered down the street of a tiny village just north of London, Nate wondered whether he should have insisted Harry take some sort of back up with him. But Nate knew that he couldn't have made Harry do anything he didn't want too. Besides, it had begun to seem that he no longer had the right to worry for his young friend. Harry had Ginny and would likely have the other Weasleys again soon too.

Maybe his part in the life of the great Harry Potter was drawing to a close. Nate wasn't sure what he thought of that.

Harry had become one of his closest friends, but it seemed it seemed that the boy who lived was getting a second chance at the life he wanted with his old friends and his old flame. Who were Nate and the others to deny Harry that happiness?

They were only his replacement friends.

"Should we knock?" asked Ginny nervously.

"It's my house." Harry replied as he pushed open the door and led her in. he stopped just inside the doorway and turned to Ginny. "I just remembered that I've never been here before."

"I thought you were still a member!" cried Ginny softly.

"Most of my dealings are through McGonagall. I didn't want to have to come here and risk seeing someone who agreed with your brothers!" replied Harry "You're the one who lived here, so lead the way."

"Fine," agreed Ginny, deeply amused.

When the pair boldly entered the kitchen a moment later, everyone fell silent. That was saying quite a lot as nine people had all been speaking the second before. There was a very tense moment when no one knew how to react. Finally, Lupin spoke up.

"Good to see you, Harry, Ginny." Remus's girlfriend did him one better by standing to hug the couple.

"Love the hair." She said of Ginny's slightly faded purple locks.

"You came back." Charlie state, sounding shocked and pleased.

"We did. We said we would, so we did." Ginny replied.

"You alright, Gin?" asked Charlie.

"Why wouldn't I be?" asked Ginny dangerously. "I've just spent two weeks with the love of my life on an unexpected holiday."

"How 'bout you, love of our sister's life?" sniggered George.

"Feel okay?" asked Fred.

"Rather on the happy side, really. See I finally got together with this girl I've been in love with for years."

"How is it going?" asked Mad-eye Moody, "Been watching your backs?"

"Sure have."

"Oh Harry, Ginny!" cried Hermione suddenly as she flung herself at the pair in a wild hug. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

"Alright, Harry?" asked Ron after his girlfriend was back at his side. Everyone went very still as Ron and Harry faced each other, each with an arm around the waist of the women he loved.

"Yeah, I am. How bout you, Ron?"

"Can't complain."

"Really? Well, I think I have something to say that will change that. But first you've got to promise to hit me next time your mad so it doesn't take a year to sort out." Harry replied.

"Promise." Ron said with a half grin.

"Now tell is!" begged Hermione.

"I married your sister about two hours ago." Harry said, pulling Ginny's ring on it's gold chain from under her shirt.

A/N And so ends this fan fic.

I've decided to stop this one here because there is a large leap of time between this chapter and the one that would have been next, so I'm doing it as a sequel. I hope that doesn't screw things up for anyone (Though I don't know how it could)

The next story is called "Disappear".

Thanks for reading this fic, and thanks to everyone who reviewed!

--QK


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